The Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam (GUVNL) has amended its Phase IV Standalone Battery Energy Storage Systems tender by providing Viability Gap Funding (VGF) support and augmenting the capacity to 500 MW/1000 MWh. The initial tender was issued for 400 MW/800 MWh with a greenshoe option of 400 MW/800 MWh. In the updated tender, the VGF for each developer is capped at ₹2.7 million (~$32,114)/MWh or 30% of the project’s capital cost, whichever is lower.

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has adopted tariffs for 1,500 MW of interstate transmission system (ISTS)-connected solar power projects awarded by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). SECI had awarded the projects to Avaada Energy (300 MW at ₹2.57 (~$0.03)/kWh), ReNew Solar Power (300 MW at ₹2.57(~$0.03)/kWh), Engie Energy India (100 MW at ₹2.57(~$0.03)/kWh), SAEL Industries (600 MW at ₹2.57(~$0.03)/kWh), and NTPC Renewable Energy (200 MW at ₹2.58(~$0.03)/kWh). Background SECI invited bids on January 18, 2024, for setting up 1,500 MW of ISTS-connected solar power projects (Tranche XIV). This competitive process resulted in selecting five successful bidders for a total capacity of 1,500 MW.

Multi-business conglomerate ITC has commissioned its second offsite solar project, with a capacity of 9.45 MW, in Davanagere district in Karnataka. The project is ITC’s fourth offsite solar project in the country, following those in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka. The offsite solar project will generate around 15 million units annually, providing energy to the company’s numerous facilities in the state. The project is spread over 26 acres and uses bi-facial module technology and string inverters. With this project, nearly 90% of ITC’s energy procurement in Karnataka will be from renewable sources.

PFC Consulting has invited bids for setting up transmission systems to evacuate a cumulative 6 GW of power to cater to green hydrogen/ammonia manufacturing projects in Kandla and Mundra in Gujarat. The last date to submit bids for the Kandla project under Phase 1 is December 17, 2024. Bids will be opened the same day. The last date to submit bids for the Mundra (Phase 1: Part B1) project is December 18, 2024. Bids will be opened the same day.

MECON, a government of India enterprise offering design, engineering, consultancy, and contracting services, has issued a request for proposal for pilot projects on green hydrogen injection in existing blast furnaces and direct reduced iron (DRI)-making units. The last date to submit the bids is October 28, 2024. Bids will be opened on October 29. The projects involve using hydrogen in the blast furnace to reduce coal/coke consumption and injecting hydrogen in the vertical shaft-based DRI-making unit to partially substitute the natural gas/ other reducing gas and maximize the use of hydrogen.

NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam has invited bids to develop 3.92 MW of rooftop and 2.4 MW of ground-mounted solar power projects at NTPC stations Simhadri and Ramagundam in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The last day to submit the bids is November 6, 2024. Bids will be opened the next day. Bidders must submit an earnest money deposit of ₹2 million (~$23,802). The selected bidder must furnish a performance bank guarantee of 10% of the contract price within 28 days of the award. Developers must have designed, supplied, and commissioned grid-connected solar projects with a cumulative capacity of 400 kW or higher, including at least one 40 kW or larger project. The reference project must have been in operation for at least six months before the last date of bid submission.